Psalm
100
The scope of the psalm is to exhort all people to praise the Lord, to
serve and worship him, from the consideration of His goodness and mercy, truth
and faithfulness. An exhortation to praise God and rejoice in Him. Psa_100:3,
for His greatness; Psa_100:4, and for His power.
All nations are exhorted to praise the Lord, Psa_100:1, Psa_100:2; to
acknowledge him to be the Sovereign God and their Creator and that they are His
people and the flock of His pasture, Psa_100:3; to worship Him publicly, and be
grateful for His mercies, Psa_100:4. The reasons on which this is founded; His
own goodness, His everlasting mercy, and His ever-during truth, Psa_100:5.
The author is anonymous. One scholar believes that it is likely that
it was composed after the captivity, as a form of thanksgiving to God for that
great deliverance, as well as an inducement to the people to consecrate
themselves to Him, and to be exact in the performance of the acts of public
worship. The Arabic version (of the transcripts used to translate the bible) ascribes
this psalm to David as does the Targum. Another scholar believes that it was
supposed to have been used when peace offerings for thanksgivings were offered
up as in Lev_7:11. The Syriac inscription (another of the transcripts used) is
very odd in that it states: "concerning
Joshua the son of Nun, when he made the war of the Ammonites to cease; but in
the New Testament, when the Gentiles are converted to the faith.''
Psa
100:1 A Psalm of praise. Make a joyful
noise unto the LORD, all ye lands.
All ye
lands - “all the earth.” The idea in the psalm is, that praise did not
pertain to one nation only; that it was not appropriate for one people merely;
that it should not be confined to the Hebrew people, but that there was a
proper ground of praise for “all.” The ground of that was the fact that they
had one Creator, Psa_100:3. The psalm is based on the unity of the human race;
on the fact that there is one God and Father of all, and one great family on
earth.
Make a
joyful noise unto the Lord - all the inhabitants of the earth, who are
called upon to shout unto him as their King; as the angels did at his birth,
the disciples when he made his public entrance into Jerusalem, the apostles at
his ascension to heaven, the saints when the marriage of him, the Lamb, will be
come, and both men and angels when he shall descend from heaven to judge the
world; and such a joyful noise or shout should be made unto him as to a
triumphant conqueror, who has got the victory over sin, Satan, death, and the
grave, and every enemy of his and his people, and made them more than
conquerors through himself; Psa_95:1 Oh come, let us sing to the LORD; let us make a joyful
noise to the Rock of our salvation.
This song of praise should be considered as a prophecy, and even used
as a prayer, for the coming of that time when all people shall know that the
Lord He is God, and shall become His worshippers, and the sheep of His pasture.
Great encouragement is given us, in worshipping God, to do it cheerfully. If,
when we strayed like wandering sheep, He has brought us again to His fold, we
have indeed abundant cause to bless His name. The matter of praise, and the
motives to it, are very important. Know what God is in Himself, and what He is
to you. Know it; consider and apply it, then you will be more close and constant,
more inward and serious, in His worship. The covenant of grace set down in the
Scriptures of the Old and New Testament, with so many rich promises, to
strengthen the faith of every weak believer, makes the matter of God's praise and
of His people's joys so sure, that how sad our spirits may be when we look to
ourselves, yet we shall have reason to praise the Lord when we look to His
goodness and mercy, and to what He has said in His word for our comfort.
Psa
100:2 Serve the LORD with gladness: come
before his presence with singing.
Serve the
Lord with gladness - That is, In your worship, and in all your acts
of obedience. Let there be joy in this service. Let it not be with the fear of
slaves; not as a matter of compulsion and force; not with reluctance,
moroseness, or gloom. Let it be a cheerful, happy service; let it be freely
rendered, let it be an occasion of joy to the soul. The service of God is a
source of the highest joy that man knows.
Serve the
Lord with gladness - It is your privilege and duty to be happy in
your religious worship. The religion of the true God is intended to remove
human misery, and to make mankind happy, not through material things of this
world but in the joy of reconciliation to the Lord. He whom the religion of
Christ has not made happy does not understand that religion, or does not make a
proper use of it.
Come before
his presence with singing - As expressive of joy. So the birds sing; so
nature rejoices; so should man - intelligent, redeemed, immortal man, be
joyful.
come before
his presence with singing - to the throne of His grace with thankfulness
for mercies received, as well as to implore others; and into His house, and at His
ordinances, beginning public worship with singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual
songs;
Psa
100:3 Know ye that the LORD he is God:
it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the
sheep of his pasture.
Know ye
that the Lord, he is God - Let all the nations know that He is the true
God. The idols are vanity. They have no claim to worship; but God is the
Creator of all, and is entitled to universal adoration.
It is he
that hath made us - The fact that He is the Creator proves that He
is God, since no one but God can perform the work of creation. The highest idea
that we can form of power is that which is evinced in an act of creation; that
is, in causing anything to exist where there was nothing before. Every created
thing, therefore, is a proof of the existence of God; the immensity of the
universe is an illustration of the greatness of His power.
it is he
that hath made us - as men, without whom nothing is made that was
made; in Him we live, move, and have our being; and, as new creatures, we are His
workmanship, created in Him, and by Him; regenerated by His Spirit and grace,
and formed for himself, His service and glory; and made great and honorable by Him,
raised from a low to an high estate; from being beggars on the dunghill, to sit
among princes; yea, made kings and priests unto God by Him.
And not we
ourselves - We are not self-created; we derive our being from Him. All that we
have and are, we owe to Him.
not we
ourselves - that is, we did not make ourselves, neither as creatures, nor as new
creatures; as we have no hand in making either our souls or bodies, so neither
in our regeneration, or in the work of God upon our hearts; that is solely the
Lord's work.
And the
sheep of his pasture - As the shepherd owns the flock, so God is our
owner; as the shepherd guards his flock and provides for it, so God guards us and
provides for us. His sheep also by gift and purchase, called by Him, made to
know His voice, and follow Him; for whom He provides pasture, leads to it, and
feeds them with it Himself.
We are his
people - By virtue of creation we are his people; by choice and covenant; by His
gift, and His own purchase; and by the power of His grace, bringing to a
voluntary surrender and subjection to Him; even the Gentiles, who were not His
people, but now His people, 1Pe_2:9 But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a
holy nation, a people for possession, so that you might speak of the praises of
Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; We ought to serve and glorify him: we are His
by creation Act_17:28 For in Him we live and move and have our being, as also
certain of your own poets have said, For we are also His offspring.
Psa
100:4 Enter into his gates with
thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless
his name.
Enter into
his gates - The gates which lead to His temple, or to the place of public
worship.
Into his
courts - The
“courts” were the open spaces which surrounded the tabernacle or temple. It was
in these that worship was celebrated, and not in the tabernacle or temple. Psa_65:4 Blessed
is the one whom You choose, and cause to come near You. He shall dwell in Your
courts; we shall be satisfied with the goodness of Your house, of Your holy
temple. Psa_84:2 My soul longs, yea, even
faints for the courts of the LORD; my heart and my flesh shout for joy to the
living God. Psa_92:13 Those that are planted
in the house of the LORD shall flourish in the courts of our God.
Be thankful
unto him - That is, offer thanksgiving and praise. For all good things come from
Him. Come before Him with a grateful heart. Psa_50:14 Offer to God thanksgiving; and
pay your vows to the Most High; Philippians
4:6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in
everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be
made known to God.
Bless his
name - Bless Him; praise Him; ascribe honor to Him; acknowledge Him as God. Psa_72:19 And
blessed be His glorious name forever; and all the earth is filled with His
glory! Amen and Amen.
Psa
100:5 For the LORD is good; his mercy is
everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.
For the
Lord is good - He is not a being of mere “power;” he is not merely the Creator; but He
is benevolent and is therefore worthy of universal praise. In the former
verses, His claim to adoration is founded on the fact that He is the “Creator,”
and has, as such, a right to our service; in this verse, the claim is asserted
on account of His moral character:
1) His benevolence;
2) His mercy;
3) His truth;
a) the fact that He is a God of truth; and
b) the fact that His truth endures, or that in all generations He
shows Himself to be faithful to His promises.
The first of these is his “benevolence:” “The Lord is good.” As such,
assuredly, God is worthy of praise and honor. A being of “mere” power we could
not love or praise; a being whose power was united with malignity or
malevolence, could only be the object of hatred and terror; but a being whose
power is united with goodness or benevolence ought to be loved.
For the
Lord is good - Goodness the perfect, eternal opposition to all badness and evil, is
essential to God. Mercy and compassion are modifications of His goodness; and
as His nature is eternal, so His mercy, springing from His goodness, must be
everlasting. And as Truth is an essential characteristic of an infinitely
intelligent and perfect nature; therefore God’s truth must endure from
generation to generation. Whatsoever He has promised must be fulfilled, through
all the successive generations of men, as long as sun and moon shall last.
For the
Lord is good - Both in a providential way, and in a way of grace, and does good; He
is the good Shepherd, that has laid down His life for the sheep; and the good
Samaritan, that pours in the wine and oil of His love and grace, and His
precious blood, to the healing of the wounds made by sin: while He was on
earth, He went about doing good to the bodies and souls of men; and He
continues to do good unto them, and therefore should be praised, served, and
worshipped:
His mercy
is everlasting - This is the second reason, drawn from His moral
character, why He should be praised and adored. A being of mere “justice” may
be feared and respected; but a character of “mere” justice would be to man an
object of dread. Man, in order to find happiness and security, must find some
other attribute in God than mere “justice,” for man is a sinner, and needs
pardon; he is a sufferer, and needs compassion; he is to die, and needs support
and consolation. It is, therefore, a ground of unspeakable joy for man that God
is not a Being of “mere justice,” but that there is mingled in His character
the attribute of mercy and kindness. But for this, man could have no hope; for,
as a sinner, he has no claim on God, and all his hope must be derived from
God’s infinite compassion. To all this is added the fact that this mercy of God
is “everlasting.” Its fruits - its results - will extend to the vast eternity
before us; and in all that eternity we shall never cease to enjoy the benefits
of that mercy; never be suffered to fall back on the mere “justice” of God.
And his
truth endureth to all generations - That is, forever. It is the same in
every generation of the world. This is the third reason derived from the moral
character of God for praising Him; and this is a just ground of praise. We
could not love and honor a God who was not true to His promises, and who did
not Himself love the truth; we could not honor one who was changeable and
flexible - who loved one thing in one generation and a different thing in the
next; who in one age was the friend of truth, and in the next the patron of
falsehood. It is the just foundation for praise to God - our God - that He is
essentially and always - in all the generations of people - toward all in the
universe - a Being of unchangeable benevolence, mercy, and truth. Such a God is
worthy to be had in universal reverence; such a God is worthy of universal
praise.
